Beginning early next year, the company will deploy several drones in a proof-of-concept project at the Shell Technology Center in Houston, which encompasses 1.2 million square feet and 44 buildings of laboratory and office space.

U.S. government and industry efforts to prevent accidents between planes and drones are receiving heightened attention in the wake of a possible collision last week between an Aeromexico jetliner and an unmanned aircraft.

If the culprit was a drone, it would mark the first documented collision in North America between an unmanned aircraft and a large passenger jet. A military helicopter and regional turboprop previously have been involved in drone-related accidents in the region, and there have been dozens of close calls.